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PLAN 

FOR SEIZING AND CARRYING TO NEW- YORK 

Coll. Wm. GOFFE 

THE REGICIDE, 

As fet forth in the affidavit of 
John London, Apr. 20, 1678. 

Published from the original in the office 
of the Secretary of State of New- York, 

BY 

FRANKLIN B. HOUGH, M. D. 

With other documents on the fame 
fubjecl: among the State Papers 
of Connecticut. 

"They did not regard them as Traitors, but as unfor- 
tunate fufferers in the noble caufe of civil Liberty, 
proftrated by the Reftoration, and again loft and overwhelmed 
in the return and irreftftable inundation of Tyranny." 

President Stiles. 

ALBANY, 

Weed, Parsons & Co. 

M. DCCC. LV. 






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THE DEPOSICON 



JOHN LONDON 

of Wind/or in Conneflicutt Apr. 20,1678. 

[N. Y. Colonial MSS., Vol. xxix, Secretary's Office, 
Albany, N. Y.] 

John London of Winfor neare 
Hartford in the Colony of Conec- 
ticutt in New England, aged about 
fifty yeares, depofeth That Jofeph 
Bull Sen r (comonly called Capt 
Bull,) of Hartford, hath for fever- 
all yeares paft (& for ought hee 
knowes ftill doth) kept privately 
Coll GofFe, at his owne houfe 
there, or his fons, hee goeing by 
the name of Mr Cooke ; And that 
Whaley lived & dyed at Hadley 
in thofe parts, & was buryed in the 



buryeing place there. That being 
certifyed of the above Goffes 
aboade, in the month of May laft, 
hee the deponent, together with 
Robert Howard of Winfor aforefd 
(who profelTeth phifick) went to 
the houfe of the faid Bull, where 
they faw him & having formerly 
knowne him in England the de- 
ponent was well fatisfyde that hee 
was the fame man which fd Dr. 
Howard did alfo affirme to him, 
as hee had done afore, hee being 
the flrft difcoverer of his being 
there unto him. 

That the faid Dr Howard did 
alfo informe him the deponent, 
that the Trade driven by fd Bull 
or his Children, in Goods or Mer- 
chandize, was on the behalfe of 
fd GofTe, &that Mr. James Richards 
of Hartford, brought over a good 



cargoe for the use of fd Goffe about 
two yeares agoe. 

That the deponent being so af- 
fured of ye faid Goffes aboade as 
before, in the fame month of May, 
thinking it his duty, hee did call 
about & contrive which way to 
apprehend him,reafonablyfuppofing 
by Mr Richards acting for him, 
being a member of the Independent 
Church & a principall Magiftrate 
there, that the authority would not 
countenance him, but the difcovery 
to them would rather tend to his 
Ruine. The deponent therefore 
thought it convenient to advife wth 
& haue affiftance of fome other 
persons to feize vpon & bring the 
faid Goffe to this place & fo dif- 
closed the fame to one Thomas 
Powell his neighbour, who promift 
to affift the deponent therein, but 



no fooner had the deponent difco- 
vered his knowledge & refolucon 
to the fd Powell, but hee privily 
went downe to Hartford upon a 
Saturday & gave informacon agnft 
him, to Major Talcott & Capt Al- 
len. That hee the deponent was 
goeing away to New Yorke having 
his horfe ready, on Monday follow- 
ing, but intended to furprize Coll. 
GofFe & carry him away with him. 
That the night following the fd 
Powell returned to Winfor with 
the Marfhall Graves who about 
breake of day came to the depts 
houfe & knock't & called to him 
to arife. 

The fd dept knowing the Mar- 
fhallss voice afkt' him what hee 
would have & what was the matter. 
The Marfhall anfwere'd that the dept 
muft gett up, for the Gent, at Hart- 



ford had fent to fpeake with him: 
Whereupon the deponent arofe & 
went with them to Hartford, where 
when they arrived, they went firft 
to Major Talcotts, & from thence 
together to Capt Aliens. 

At the deponents coming there 
Capt Allen afk't him when hee 
went to New York. The dept 
replyed, hee did not know but if 
hee had any buifnefTe tp comand 
him, & would pay him for it, hee 
was ready to goe prefently Capt 
Allen faid not hee but demanded 
him, if hee the dept had not ap- 
pointed to goe thither on Monday, 
upon the depts saying hee knew 
nothing of it, Powell was call'd in 
then a paper was taken off the 
Table which Capt Allen faid hee 
woulde reade to him, if hee would 
hear it. The depont replyde that 



8 

hee came to heare what they had 
to alleadge agft him having fent 
for him upon ye Sabbath day, fetch- 
ing him out of his houfe, as a Tray- 
tor or Malefactor. 

Then Capt Allen read the paper 
or charge given in agft the dept 
by Thorn : Powell relating what the 
dept had fd unto him. Whereupon 
the dept put them upon the proofe 
of it Powells charge being alleadged. 
The dept replyde hee was but a 
Angle Teftimony, & likewife was 
an idle drunken fellow, & no heed 
to be given to what hee fd, & the 
depont being in paflion threatened 
the faid Powell that if hee could 
not have his remedy at Law agft 
him hee would take his owne fatif- 
fation. 

Thereupon the depont being dif- 
mift' he returned home. 



Not long after Majr Talcott & 
Capt Allen came to Windfor to 
feeke for other Informacon agft 
the dept but rinding none lett the 
matter fall, yet charged the dept 
not to depart out of the County 
without a speciall Licence. 

That at the fame time when the 
fd Major Talcott & Capt Allen 
were then there the depont told the 
fd Major Talcott & Capt Allen & 
others preft publickely, that hee 
the depont knew that they kept 
& concealed Coll: Goffe amongft 
them, & that hee could when hee 
pleafed lay his hand on his moul- 
der ; To which they replyde the 
dept was miftaken, for Goffe was 
long fince dead, & charged the 
dept to bee a Tray tor to their Colony 
& deferved to bee hanged for con- 
fpiring agft them. 



IO 



That afterwards the depont made 
a fhip to goe off to Bofton under 
pretence of taking a horfe to fell 
there, from thence hee fhip't him- 
felfe for Maryland to his brother 
Major Ambrofe London living at 
Annemeffick, in Somerfett County 
& there gave this Informacon upon 
oath to his fd brother, Collonell 
Stevenfon, & Collonell Colburne, 
defiring it might bee fent into 
EngPd, which they promis't. From 
thence the depont came to the 
Whorekill, & fo hither. And fur- 
ther faith not. 

Sworne before mee by the aforefd 
John London, in New Yorke, the 
20th day of Apr 1680: 

Matthias Nicolls, Secy. 

[Upon the receipt of the above 
intelligence Gov Andros addrefled 



II 



the following letter to the Governor 
of Connecticut, which with the ac- 
companying documents are among 
the State papers of Connecticut 
Miscellaneous. Vol. i, Doc. i, 2.] 

Honble SWs. — Being informed by 
Depoiicons taken upon Oath that 
Coll Goth hath been and is ftill 
kept and Concealed by Capt. Jofeph 
Bull and his fonns in the Towne of 
Hartford under the name of Mr 
Cooke The fd Goth and CollWhaley 
(who is fince dead in yor parts) 
hauing been perfued as Traitors, 
that I may not be wanting in my 
duty, doe hereby giue you the above 
intimacon, noe wayes doubting of 
yor loyalty in euery refpecl: and re- 
maine Hon'ble Srs. Your affec- 
tionate neighbor and humble fer- 
vant. E. Andross. 

New Yorke May 18th, 1680. 



12 

Superfcription — 

For the Honoble John Leete 
Efqr Governor & the Affiftants 
of His Maties Collony of Connec- 
ticut^ att Hartford. Thefe. For 
his Maties fpeciall fervice. 

Matthias Nicolls, Secy. 

On the face of the letter in the handwrit- 
ing of Secy. Allyn. 

Prefently upon receipt of this 
letter, June ioth, '80, the Gour. 
Major Talcott & the Secretary- 
being (when they receiued the letter) 
together, ordered the Secretary to 
send forth a warrant to the con- 
ftables of Hartford to make fearch 
for fd Col. Goff in the letter me- 
tioned which was don accordingly 
before we parted. The copy of ye 
warm. 



r 3 

To the Conftables of Hartford. 
Whereas Sr. Edmond Andross Go- 
vernor of N: Yorke by his letters 
to us juft now receiued hath certi- 
fied to us that Captn Jos. Bull & 
his fonns of this Town doe conceale 
Col: Goffe under the name of Mr. 
Cooke, thefe are therefore in his 
Maties. name to will 8c require 
you and ftridily to charge and com- 
mand you upon fight hereof to make 
diligent fearch in the houfes barns 
out houfes 8c all places therein 
for the fayd Col: Goffe, 8c if you 
find him or them or any ftranger 
in their or either of their houses 
you are to aprehend & in fafe cus- 
tody to convay them to the Gover- 
nor, that they may be examind 8c 
difpofed of according to His Ma'- 
ties pleafure formerly declared to 
us, 8c you are alfo to make search 



H 

in all places wth in your limits where 
there may be any (or the least) fuf- 
fpition that they may be hid or con- 
cealed, & you are to make return 
of the feruing hereof to the Gover- 
nor vnder your hands, hereof you 
may not fayle as you will answer 
the contrary at your perill. Dated 
in Hartford June ioth, 1680, p 
order of ye Govr. &c. 

iigned p. John Allyn, Secretary. 



REPLY TO ANDROSS S LETTER. 

Hartford, June nth, 1680: 

Honble «SV;— Athough we muft 
acknowledg or engagement vnto 
your Honor for giuing vs intimation 
of what had been offerd to your 
felfe refpecting his Maties feruice 
(we mould haue taken it well had 
your Honor been pleafed to haue 



i5 

giuen vs an acco't. of the names 
of the informers (which yet we 
defire you would be pleafed to 
doe fpeedily) & we doubt not but to 
giue you fufficient fattisfaction, to 
clear it vp that we are much abufed 
by thofe falls reports, concerning 
the good people of this place. For 
the prfent we know not how to 
acknowledg any thankes to the in- 
formers, who (by the effect) seem to 
haue acted under gross miftakes 
(poffibly) to delude your Honor & 
caft reproach upon orfelues of this 
place, for that we being upon a 
folemne occafion together when we 
receiued your letter, and informa- 
tion therein, we forthwith difpatcht 
a fpeciall warrant to or conftables 
&marfhall,tomake adilligent fearch 
after the perfon mentioned, whoe 
being upon oath, returned they had 



i6 

with all care 8c dilligence made the 
fayd fearch but could find no fuch 
perfon as was mentioned, nor any 
ftranger that in the leaft could be 
fufpecled to be any fuch perfon : 
After the fearch o'r people were 
amufed that any fuch thing could 
be fufpected at Hartford : But the 
father of lyes is o'r enemie & doth 
inftigate his inftruments to maligne 
this poore Colony, but we hope the 
Father of lights will vindicate vs in 
his due time, & we pray your Ho- 
nors neighbourly charade in the 
meane fpace, with due witness bear- 
ing againft all that endeavoure to 
abufe with falls news & ftories, as 
is done by o'rfelues in fuch cafe, 
otherwife enough of fuch matters 
had not been wanting againft neigh- 
bours to rays bad blood by ill per- 
fons betwixt fuch as defire to mayn- 



17 

taine good correfpondency with o'r 
profefTed freinds that are neerly 
fcituate to vs in this wildernefTe, we 
haue not to ad but o'r refpe&s to 
your Honor & that we are Hono'ble 
Sr. 

Your affectionate freinds & hum- 
ble fervants, The Governor & Af- 
fifts prefent, 

p their order figned 

John Allyn Secry. 

Thefe for the Hon'ble Sr Edmun 
Andross Knt. & Gov'r of his royall 
highness territories in America, at 
forte James in N. Yorke. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



020 702 065 J 




